The REAL Fruits Basket
by Lolabel
Summary: It can't be true, it just can't! People can't turn into animals! Exactly, which is why people like that get locked up in... the Sohma Mental Institute.
1. Prologue

This story was inspired by two of my very bestest friends! I wrote this for them as a request, right now my idea is to make it a chapter story, one chapter for each 'Sohma'. Much love to you guys! To my Ein (FruitsBasketsLove) and to Lauren… especially Lauren for giving me the joy of reading Gravitation… peace… out!

The **REAL** Fruits Basket

_Prologue – The Journalists Tale_

I can still remember the old days of my career, I was one of the most popular and famous journalists of my time. Always coming up with amazing stories thought to be unreal, all of them true. It was so much fun, but time passed by and I lost my edge, fresh blood was found for my job and I was kicked to the curb. So I'm writing a journal now, just for myself mainly, so others can see my life… but actually it's not my life I want them to see… it's the people who inspired my very first story… although the article has long since faded I'm gonna rewrite it and all the information that actually went with it. This will be the detailed version of my world famous article, 'The Sohma Myth'. You all know the legend of the Chinese Zodiac don't you? How the Rat tricked the Cat so on and so forth? Good. This is an article written about people who believed… they could turn into animals...

* * *

There is a place on the outskirts of Tokyo, Japan. A place called The Sohma Mental Institute. Let me see, it was owned by a miss… Tia Horu… no… um… Tohru Honda! Yes her name was Tohru Honda. There were only 14 patients in the SMI but they were the oddest people anyone could ever meet and they had to be kept away from other people for their own safety. Now the fourteen people only had first names, but soon came to think of themselves as the 'Sohma's'. To them Tohru was their friend and savior, not the trained nurse they believed her to be.

The fourteen members of the SMI were as follows:

Akito

Ayame

Hatori

Hatsuharu

Hiro

Kagura

Kisa

Kureno

Kyo

Momiji

Rin

Ritsu

Shigure

Yuki

Now each member believed themselves to be an animal from the Chinese Zodiac, all with the exception of Kyo and Akito. Kyo believed himself to be the cat, and although part of the legend, it's not part of the Zodiac…. Akito… was… a much rarer … case? Shall we say? Although he was not an animal, or at least, he didn't believe he was, the other 'Sohma's', believed him to be the 'Leader' of their little family. Just to indulge in their beliefs, Tohru herself went along with their little 'game'. Going past their hallucinations, Akito was actually such a hazard to himself he had to be held down and seduced daily as well as put in a, although so cliché and expected, a straight jacket.

* * *

Now back to me, at this time I was having trouble believing it, but then Miss Honda asked me if I would like to stick around for awhile and see how they act around others and try to give me a feel for … their world?... yes…. It was at this point I realized the one called Shigure was a 'novelist'. Tohru told me she had fakely hired an editor to make one or two fake copies for Shigure's sake, she said eventually the editor got sick of it all and quit… she also said the editor resembled me slightly and for my own sake I should act like I was Shigure's editor just hanging about the house with 'their friend Tohru's' permission.

And so I did… more on that in the next few pages… it is late and I should like to continue my story tomorrow…


	2. Yuki

Okay well, I owe this to my two best friends. As a coming home present.

Sorry to my various fans… life's hectic. Love ya'll.

---

The **REAL** Fruits Basket

_Chapter One – Yuki Sohma_

It was a fresh bright morning when I re-awoke, got dressed and prepared my notebook for my first day as Shigure-san's editor: Mii. I'd long ago decided that I would go in the order of the Zodiac and not alphabetical. After all, who really care about the order? It was the heart and soul of the story that mattered, and this story's heart and soul was laid out and waiting to be examined by yours truly.

Armed with the secret identity of Mii, I began my search. Tohru greeted me warmly when I stepped into the SMI's kitchen. The family ate oddly. So in another 'house' building on the premises another part of the family was eating. And Akito ate alone. I decided to join Shigure's family, which contained of Yuki, Kyo, Shigure and Ms. Honda herself. Shigure eyed me oddly, but eventually tried to strike up conversations pertaining to his novels. But today he wasn't my victim, so in the most part I ignored him.

It became fiercely apparent however, that both Kyo and Yuki had a 'fetish' for Ms. Honda and so hanging around Yuki wouldn't be as easy as I'd hoped. If anything, it'd be harder. Ah well, the poor rat would simply try to keep his 'secret' unknown and that'd be fine with me.

The day went on uneventfully, and I was disappointed to find out that, aside from serious mental instabilities (as were to be expected) Yuki 'Sohma' was rather normal. He was polite, helpful, self-absorbed and terrified of the world around him. He was a pitiful creature that looked cute but wasn't worth the trouble of consoling. This is meant in no offense to him, but it seemed that his only purpose in life was to help Ms. Honda, bother Kyo and be picked on by various members (including constantly molested by Hatsuharu).

Yuki was powerful however, and he wasn't an idiot. After a few days of my relentless research, he began to notice my habits and met me in the hallway. A scary smile gleamed on his face, "Hello Ms. Mii."

I was cornered, needless to say and could only smile. I was in the presence of someone who was legally insane and had to be very careful until Ms. Honda could come to my 'rescue'. That was life for you, the poor journalist would get caught in the corner and her horrid death would be her last story. And of course, SHE WOULDN'T EVEN WRITE IT! Lovely.

However, she was on a self-proclaimed mission! She had to get that job with the newspaper and this was the only way. So I stood straighter and flashed Yuki a charming, nervous smile. "Hello Yuki." To seem legitimate I added, "Have you seen Shigure?"

He kept smiling in that creepy manner, sending shivers down my spine. Oh if he suspected me now and said something, why the jig was up! All of our lives would be ruined. They'd know of their mental instability, and I'd be out of a job and probably in jail on the crime of 'harassing the mentally instable'. "No Mii, I haven't. You've been around a lot lately though. Is something wrong?"

"Oh eh? No! No nothing! It's just well; the editing company wants me to keep a closer eye on Shigure. You know." I smiled again, hoping that he'd believe my bluff.

"Yuki!" came Tohru's voice.

Ah yes! I was saved! I almost hugged Tohru with happiness because Yuki wasn't given a chance to reply before Tohru grabbed his arm and dragged him off to go shopping. That was the nice thing about the Sohmas. They naturally avoided the public and so long as Tohru or a 'house maid' was with one of them when they went out, they could go outside just like normal people.

A few days later, my article was sent to the boss. It was the first of my journalist column on the Sohma Mental Institute, and needless to say, I was proud of it. Here's a clipping, which reads:

_The world spins round for all but one 'family'. On the outskirts of Tokyo there is a quaint piece of land owned by a Miss Tohru Honda. And from a relatively young age, with her late parent's fortune, she's been helping the mentally instable and has thus created the Sohma Mental Institution (named after her father's dog, Sohmali). The history of the institute is rather short, but highly interesting! _

_At the very beginning of it's opening, Tohru discovered a certain nameless family with a very unique disease. In their very minds the legend of the Zodiac was ingrained and thus they soon began to believe they were a member of the legend. A rat, a dog, a cow, a rooster. So on and so forth. Ms. Honda was so intrigued she has since devoted all of her time, effort and money to their well being._

_Unfortunately, one member, a Mister Akito is beyond her help and is daily seduced and drugged for the other's safety. However, without careful watch he manages to get a hold of weapons like whips and beats the younger children like Yuki. _

_Upon growing years, this journalist was told that Yuki resents Akito as well as Kyo, whom he envies. Yuki is the subject of this article. The first in a series about these unique people. _

_Mr. Yuki is the 'rat' of the Zodiac and his inward nature as well as keen fighting ability makes him a big hit with the rest of the family. So much so that the 'cow', a one Hatsuharu has quite the infatuation for him. However Mr. Hatsuharu is also dating his cousin, Ms. Rin, the 'horse'. (Please understand that these people are closed in, and interfamily breeding is the only pleasure they are allowed, if Mr. Akito doesn't catch them when he's unsupervised.) _

_Yuki confronted me in my undercover position as Shigure (the 'dogs') editor Mii. He was curt with me, and treated me like the outsider I was. Yuki never stopped suspecting me and so eventually I did the thing that terrified him the most._

_Of course, Tohru wasn't too happy with me, but if it'd keep me from being suspected, it was all good. _

_I hugged him._

_As their version goes, when a member outside the family of the opposite sex hugs a member of the Zodiac, they 'transform'. _

_Instantly, Yuki took on a squeaky yet obviously his voice and he got down and walked on his knees, looking at me angrily as he skittered away. To my vast shock, he'd ripped his clothes off and was shuffling around naked. _

_It was a sight to see, and I certainly didn't want to see it again._

_And after a week, I realized that Yuki had finally decided to stay far away from me as possible. So I could no longer learn about him. I was sad, but it only lasted a moment! There were more victims to behold! So join us in next week's article, and we'll behold them!_

Well that was it. And so… as the article said, see you soon. My journal is far from done, and whoever reads this someday, bless you for reading every bit of it.


End file.
